"Ugggh. Come on, Mica. You don't even know why they're there. Listen, I'm supposed to pick them up so when they leave they won't be in a totally shitty situation with no IDs. Hell. Even I won't remember this conversation tomorrow morning. She won't let me. I'll go into work, and you will be reuniting with the other half of your soul and working towards having both of you coming home." She groans, and you hear her forehead thump against the door. "Please, you're making this story more difficult than it has to be. You'll all get to come home, soon-" You hear Arie's footsteps freeze at the top of the stairwell, a choked noise issuing from her throat.
.....Oh. Arie was right after all. He isn't her brother, not fully. "I can't stop you from coming in, can I? No matter what I do." He fidgets with the knife in his hand. "You promise you won't take them back to whoever they ran from?"
"...they have to go back, for now, but they're being let go properly, soon. Promise." The woman says quietly. "The ones who ran that little party made the Queen upset, they broke someone, and now they're the ones in trouble. Those two will get to help decide their punishment... and soon after, their tour is done and they'll be sent to make their own stories out here..."
Mica looks at Lucas and Annette. "I could still call the police," he offers. "But I don't think it would change anything." He doesn't know what he's supposed to do. He doesn't know how to fix this.
The two stay close to each other, clinging, expressions lost. "...just open the door. Please, Mica? Let's make this easy on everyone. Your other half is probably going to be delighted to see you. You'll hug, catch up, and the queen will send you home together - doesn't that sound good?"
"If anyone lays a finger on them I'll break their goddamn arm," Mica tells her. "No one gets to hurt them any more than they've already been hurt." He looks up at Arie. "Tell Ethan not to worry about me, okay? I'll be home soon." He unlocks the door.
"I... okay." Arie breathes. "You're. There's. Good luck, Mica." You can hear tears threatening to fall in her voice...
The woman on the doorstep smiles brightly, eyes of gleaming gemstones winking in the light from inside the house., waves of spun-gold hair falling around her face. "You got it, the Queen knows your wish, and she promises to hold to it." She holds out a hand with blunted ivory nails. "Come on. Let's go. It's time for the next chapter in your story, Mica. You're a good person. We like that a lot."
"Don't cry," Mica tells Arie. "You never liked me anyway." He doesn't want to take the woman's hand, so he just stands there until he remembers he's still holding the knife. He sets in down on the little table by the door, and turns back to the woman. "Yeah. Let's go."
Emberlynn smiles, then steps in, takes his hand, and touches the doorway, which glows... then reveals a glowing path to a gorgeous, somewhat dilapitated estate. Her eyes glow bright. "...go on, all of you. She's waiting, and I'm not allowed on the grounds anymore."
There's a beautiful garden made of crystal just inside, and a woman waits, smiling calmly. As Annette and Lucas step in behind Mica, she smiles wider, and then there's two of her - one with an executioner's axe and cloak. "Good. Let's go decide what to do about the rule-breaker who ruined Leo." Her voice leaves no room for argument, and the axe-wielder stalks off.
